Shri Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of State (I/C) for Power, Coal , New and Renewable Energy has called for building SAARC power grid so that excess production of power in one region can easily be used to meet deficit elsewhere . Shri Goyal was addressing the inaugural session of the 5th meeting of the SAARC Energy Ministers here today. Earlier, Shri. Goyal was unanimously elected as a chairperson at the meeting .
In his augural address , Shri Goyal said “Rivers can flow only in one direction, but power can flow in the direction of our choice! I dream of a seamless SAARC power grid within the next few years. For example : Hydroelectric power generated in North East India could be transported via Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, on to Afghanistan or offshore wind projects could be set up in Sri Lanka’s coastal borders to power Pakistan or Nepal. The possibilities are limitless!”. Shri Goyal said this will not only strengthen the economic ties among the SAARC nations but also deepens the people to people relationship.
The Power Minister further stated that the economic sustainability of SAARC region is pillared on energy security as 30% of the region’s energy demands are met through imports. In order to resolve this, Shri Goyal advocated a three pronged strategy by leveraging (a) Harnessing conventional and renewable sources of energy (b) building inter-connected transmissions grids and forging efficacious power trading agreements. SAARC is a robust market but constraints are primarily on the supply side as there are pockets where deficits persist, Shri Goyal said.
Highlighting the correlation between per-capita electricity consumption and Human Development Index ( HDI) , Shri Goyal said that the impact of electricity on human lives is profound ranging from healthcare to education to employment opportunities. The household per capita consumption of electricity within SAARC is mere 128 units versus global average of 3,045 units. Shri Goyal called upon all member countries to take this as a challenge and we all should commit overselves for pushing up household per capita consumption. For rapid progress and prosperity of the SAARC region , it is imperative that the power sector be expanded to ensure universal access to electricity in the region, Shri Goyal added.
Giving details of intra-SAARC linkages established in the recent past, Shri Goyal gave examples of 1450 MW exchange between India and Bhutan, 500 MW between India and Bangladesh and 150 MW between India and Nepal. He said more interconnections with high capacity are being planned and implemented. Shri Goyal urged the member countries to develop more such interconnections and offered the India’s help to enhance production capacity so that member countries become exporters in the region.
Shri Goyal said that SAARC has always played an important role in India’s foreign policy but the commitment was reaffirmed and revitalized after the formation of new Government led by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He said “Our Government recognizes the enormous potential of SAARC nations and we believe SAARC can be regional economic powerhouse.”
Earlier , Mr Arjun B. Thapa ,Secretary General of SAARC Secretariat opened the meeting with his address. Apart from the host country India, Energy Ministers and senior officials from the SAARC member countries, viz, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka are participating in the meeting.
Yesterday , during the senior officials of the SAARC , member nations arrived at a consensus on Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation which has been pending since 2010. Shri Goyal complimented all the delegates for achieving this important milestone for enhancing cooperation in the energy sector.
Source: PTI
No comments:
Post a Comment